Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Ακοολογία–ΝευροωτολογίαLibrary of the School of Health Sciences
Author:
Melissourgou Konstantina-Stella
Supervisors info:
Κορρές Γεώργιος, Ακαδημαϊκός Υπότροφος, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ, Επιβλέπων
Μαραγκουδάκης Παύλος, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Δελίδης Αλέξανδρος, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Οστεοεμφυτευόμενα ακουστικά βαρηκοΐας- Η εξέλιξη και τα αποτελέσματα
Translated title:
Bone-anchored hearing aids: The evolution and the results
Summary:
Introduction: Bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHA) allow the transmission of sound through the bones of the skull, transferring sound stimuli to the cochlea bypassing the outer and middle ear. Their presence in the hearing aid industry for the past 40 years has made them a reliable therapeutic tool towards combatting hearing loss, contributing to the optimal clinical rehabilitation of patients with hearing loss. The purpose of this review is to highlight the evolutionary character of the use and performance of BAHAs through reference to the surgical and technological evolution of modern options and also to evaluate their degree of contribution in terms of audiological results and the qualitative characteristics of the audiological response resulting from their application. Objectives include the reference to the advantages and disadvantages of each BAHA device option as well as the analysis of potential complications in order to highlight the usefulness of the operation as a therapeutic solution for hearing loss in children and adults.
Methodology: Studies were searched and included from databases such as PubMed, EMBASE and MEDLINE, considering specific PRISMA guidelines to ensure transparency of the review, followed by the use of key words. The application of inclusion and exclusion criteria contribute to the study’s relevant character. The clinical and qualitative results from the included studies (31 in total) were evaluated for answering the research questions on the effectiveness of BAHAs and their revolutionary performance.
Results: It is observed that the audiological gain from BAHA can change over time, whilst offering a means of dramatically improving hearing thresholds in patients with conductive or mixed hearing loss who cannot benefit from conventional hearing aids. Furthermore, it appears that the osseointegrated implant provides a statistically significant mean improvement in both objective (audiological examination) and subjective (questionnaire) auditory performance. Newer processors such as Baha 6 Max SP versus older ones (Bahas 5 & 6 Max) of the Baha Attract System seem to provide better audiological results. Overall, patients using either BAHA system show increased auditory benefit compared to unaided control groups or the ones using conventional hearing aids. However, in quiet conditions the audiological results are better for Baha users, while in noisy environments Osia users seem to perform better. Additionally, osseoimplantation in patients with unilateral hearing loss tends to produce statistically significant hearing enhancement results in conditions involving noise, environmental reverberation, and reduced loudness aversion, with the use of the Baha Attract System. In postoperative subjective hearing evaluations, more than 80% of the respondents depicted high levels of satisfaction with their audiological ability.
Conclusion: The BAHA osseointegrated hearing aid system portrays a safe and effective means for the rehabilitation of patients with conductive, mixed type and/or unilateral hearing loss. High success in audiometric tests and patient satisfaction rate set the foundation of a trustworthy method for assisting audiological rehabilitation. New technological advances regarding the devices introduced to the market (Osia and Bonebridge) show promising results regarding improved hearing quality compared to other older devices, however, further studies are needed to assess the reproducibility of such results for the desired auditory benefits.
Main subject category:
Health Sciences
Keywords:
Osseointegrated hearing aids, Conductive hearing loss, Audiological rehabilitation, Surgical technique, Bone conduction devices
